Venetian blind slat structure



oct. 9, 1951 L J, HERMAN 2,570,807

- VENETIAN BLIND SLAT STRUCTURE Filed lag. 14, 195o Z' 3'/ INVENToR.

El-7'."- '7 E lavmG J. HERMAN 3km QSTZWEX Patented ct. 9, 1951E 2570367,VEnnmIANBLIND sLA'r `s'risUcrinale ,-vingfJ. Herman, New York, N. Y.:Application-August 14, 1950, Serial No. 179,289

' 1 Claim.l (o1. ki60-173') Thisiinven'tion relates *to new :and iuseinl:improvements in Venetian blind slatarand,v more parfti'eniarlymhe.aimiiis to provide ,a novel .and ivalnableistnnetnre .for z-snch a.-slat -charaeterized 'byrtheancliisioniofsan improved ycombi'nation ofH separbleparts.

b'jeet 'ofthe invention-is to :provide a .Vene- 'tianblnd islatstructure the main vfmember of which can be constituted as is anordinary Venetian :blind Slat, ithat. iscwhich lcan :be virtuallyiperfeetly reetangnlar .in outline, :as Hthin as or even thinnerthanvathe usual `such Slat, laterally lar'ehed .when desired, and.smooth .surfaced all over iboith nanos, yetwhich, unlike lthe 'ordinaryVenetian blind slat, is notiveakened by having ont therethrough #thefamiliar rslots 4customarily A.present'for thezpassage'ftherethroughofthe Well- --known iliit oords. .Notfoni-yl is this new -slat.'.memb'ernot viiveakiened by slott'ings thereof, :but Alit fisseilsonationally weakened at itsends, since fthese lends `Virtually...extend:rectilinearly :across A:the slsat, duetoithe '.tact .as vabove Vstatedthat the slatoiswirtually periectlyxrectangular in outline.

Sfnn'otner obijeot 'of the invention .is -to provide, combination 'withAsaid mainfslat: member.' and lforiipartiipation in thenew Venetianblindl slat .structure :as x`elements .complementary to said mainnlatfrnember, `:aip'air of like ,fend tfrtments for dependable f yet:readily vdetachable engage- 'ment iwi/ith the fend portions of said 'lmain slat :memben Wherebywhen said .tments tare atfltaohedslots forthellift cord-s fare established fiwhen. said :itments tare detached thesaid main slat member togetherlwi'th said :tments Varea'llfzbodilyseparated-and themairi slat. mem- .Y

'.may-be -iremoved ,for cleaning. "The said --i'rrain islat may also be`'covered' by la suitable '.iiabri'c orv any other removable :decorativeacoxiering.

A further object of theinvefntion is profonde; for-.fuse iinfurther-fcombination. with said main 1slat.nfienrben:espeoiallyz .Whenthe latter iiiieny longzan'd/:or it is desired'itohaye the :same .madevl.of fan #exceptionally #thin metal. or :plastic afsheet rinateria'l, ia .readily attaliable :auxiliary "'trirrrt adapted to 'tbe slipped ontoand Aslid talongthe:'mainrislatmeniber for acting Aas austiiienerar'neans '..to combat any `.tendency of the :mairrslat.memberntowaid :longitudinal dro'op.

"fnrther VAJorbjfeet .of the invention is 'sto nnmide-fsaid.like end'tments of such zoonstruclitienzdhat, while Vber'it upjfrom .a 'singlel'sheet material .blankffas aix-thin vv'sheet metal one, waste of :blankmaterial is minimized because the blank substantially rectangular in`l`outline.

hereinafter.

Yet another object-of the invention is to-.provide said like end tmentsas just above gexplained, and to have a lift-cord engaging lportionofsuch a itmentV-made smooth by aline :of bend of one part of vtheftment blank over another part thereof, and attain other structuraladvantagesjin the fitment as W-il1;be made clear Forgurthercomprehension lof -thefinvention -efzthe ,Objects and advantagesthereof, reference will be had tothe following :description and.accompanying drawings, and `to the appende/:1 .claim in which Vthevarious novel .-eatures of the invention :are inoreparticularly set Inthe accompanlyirigldrawings forming ama- .terialpart ,of thisdisclosure.:

. ...f-Eig. 31 is anton fperspectivevview, showing :one

nowavored, embodiment of the improved Venetianblind -slatxstructureffofthe :present :invention, with the slat member shown ybroken :away

.2a-tl two places.

Fig. 2i'is;a..p`lan view '.oia blank of .sheet ma- Fig. 3 shows the saidblank after a rst ipair of r.folding operations :are performed.

Fig.. :4 .shows the :said blank after a second fold- .ing operationisperformed. 1

ffFi'g-.'shows Sthesaid Eblank after f a'thirdfoldioperationis'fpertermedl l'and after, fol-lowing roompletion'of saidiiolding operation, -a

rpair of'iindenting operationsare performed; so #that now 'the blank isf-u1ly transformed a "fit-)ment 'like the two;"tmen'ts shown atv the op---pQn-tefQndSUriig 15 `vIig. ""6 'a' transverse "section, taken on 'theVFig. '7 is ayfragm'entary 'longitudinal section,

,on melma V1--110'f Fig. 4. 'y IFig.. fis, also .a fragmentary.longitudinal sec- -.Fig.9 is afragmentary'longitudinal section,

`;'ig.;,1 .isf:a .top :plan `View. 'of the left-handiend yportion of theslat structure shown in-'::Fig."1,

of Fig. 10, broken away at a point along its length.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view, showing another now favored embodiment ofthe improved Venetian blind slat structure of the invention, with theslat member shown broken away in one place.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, and first to Figs. 1-11,the slat member illustrated in Fig. 1 and designated I5 is actuallyperfectly rectangular in outline, having ends I6 which are rectilinearfrom end to end as well as having a general direction of extension whichis perpendicular to the sides of the slat member; while the slat membershown in Figs. 1'0 and 11 and designated I52L is virtually perfectlyrectangular in outline, because having ends IIeL which are rectilinearfrom end to end except for corner roundings IGb-which ro-undings, beingwholly convex, serve as strengthening or antisplit elements rather thanotherwise in regard to the end portions of the slat member.

Also, it will be no-ted that each of the slat member I and the slatmember I5EL is smooth surfaced all over both its faces, and that each ofsaid slat members is of uninterrupted expanse al1 over.

y Two like tments I1 are provided for telescopic engagement with andfrictional securement to the two end portions of the slat member.

These tments, below called the end tments, are each made from a singleblank I1a (Fig. 2) of thin sheet material, preferably a very thin sheetmetal, as one of the fairly resilient yet fully yieldingly bendablealuminum alloys.

Said blank is substantially rectangular in outline, having two parallelslits I9.

Following bending of the blank along the two lines (Fig. 2) to disposethe blank subdivisions 2| below the blank subdivisions 22, there isobtained the structure shown in Figs. 3 and 6 and there marked I1b.

Next, following bending of the blank along the line 23, to swing underand through 180 a tongue-like subdivision of the blank bounded by saidline 23, the slits I9 and a straight edge 24 of the blank, there isobtained the structure shown in Figs. 4 and '1 and there marked I1. Saidtongue-like subdivision, it is to be noted, is made up of a main portionand a lesser portion 26.

It will be observed that said structure I1c now has a pair of legs ofU-shaped cross-section, with each such leg Where it projects beyond thefold line 23 made up of a pair of blank subdivisions 2 I and 22 and witheach such leg elsewhere along its length made up of a blank subdivision2| and a side marginal portion of a plate-like main blank subdivision21. Said subdivision 21 is, as so far completed, of two-ply thickness,the under ply being comprised in part of the main .portion 25 of saidtongue-like subdivision of the blank and in part of portions of thelengths of both the blank subdivisions 2I.

The bends along the lines 20 are made in such manner as to provide al1along the length of each of these bends a groove 28 of such slightlyless width than the thickness of the slat member as to predetermine thatwhen an end portion of the slat member is inserted into such grooves agood frictional grip will be set up between the slat member and the endftment carrying said grooves.

Indents are made across the blank subdivisions 2l at the locationsindicated at 29 in Figs. 5 and 9, to provide limiting stops as indicatedin Fig. 1

against more than the prevised extent of telescopic engagement betweenan end portion of the slat member and an end tment applied to that endof said slat member.

Upon making said indents, and bending over along the line 20 and through180 said lesser portion 26 of said tongue-like subdivision of the blank,to dispose said lesser portion 26 and clench down the same as shown inFigs. 5 and 8, and squeezing each subdivision 22 up fiat against theunder side of said plate-like main subdivision 21 of the blank as shownin Fig. 9 along the length of said subdivision 22 from an indent 29 tothe end of said subdivision 22 now adjacent to the bend line 30, thereis provided the structure shown in Fig. 5.

Said structure of Fig. 5 is also marked I1; because said structure isone of which either of the ntments I1 is a replica. This being so, thesame reference numerals as are used in Figs. 2-9 are appropriatelyapplied to certain of the parts as seen in Fig. 1.

As will be noted, thicknesses are exaggerated in Figs. 1 and 6-8.Actually, a tment I1I even at the three-ply thickness thereof at theclenched over blank subdivision 26, is very thin. For instance, thepresence of said subdivision 26 will not ordinarily be visible even atclose examination.

Yet the legs 2 I-22 are stiff and strong, due to their U-shapedcross-section, and the remainder of a tment I1 is also stiff and'strong,due to its three-ply construction at the clenched over blank subdivision26 and its two-ply construction elsewhere all over the same.

With the tments I1 applied to the end portions of the slat member I5 asshown in Fig. 1, lift-cord slots 3I are established; these slotsextending widthwisely of the slat structure, and with one side of eachslot provided by a part of the end edge of the slat member and with theopposite side of each slot provided by the edge of the tment resultingfrom the bend along the line 30. Said line 39 being a bend line, it willbe laterally rounded. Also, it will be a matter of trifling expense toround the end edges of the slat member I5, pursuant to the commonpractice in thus finishing off the end edges of conventional Venetianblind slats. Thus the lift cords passing through the slots 3l, whilenever touching the ends of said slots, may from time to time touch thesides of said slots and engage said sides while moving relative theretowithout any scraping effect on the lift cords.

In Fig. 10, the end tment there shown is also designated I1, as it isexactly like the end tments I1 of Fig. 1. This being so, the samereference numerals 26, 29 and 3I as are used in Figs. 1-9 areappropriately applied to certain of the parts as seen in Fig. 10.

The aforesaid stiifener tment is as a whole designated 32. The same isdesirably made of the same sheet material stated hereinabove to bepreferable for the making of an end fitment I1. The tment 32, it will benoted, is also most economical to provide, because made. of a blank ofsubstantially rectangular cross-section; said blank being bent along twoparallel lines 33 to present a main plate-like central portion 34 andtwo like marginal portions 35 bent toward each other as shown to providemutually facing grooves for snugly yet slidably embracing the two sidemarginal portions of the slat member I5.

' Referring to the modified Venetian blind structure of Fig. 12, saidstructure is shown as incorporating a slat member I' like the Slatmember l5, and two like slip-on end tments 36. Each of the itments 36,made of a single blank of substantially rectangular outline, comprises amain central plate-like portion 31 and two like marginal portions 38bent over toward each other as shown to provide mutually facing groovessimilar to the grooves 38. Indents 39 similar to the indents 29 areapplied as shown. Located relative to said indents as illustrated is alift-cord slot 40. Then, with the tments 36 telescopically engaged withthe opposite end portions of the slat member I5 as in Fig. 12, that is,until the ends of said slat member are stopped by the indents 39, theslots 40 are properly positioned along the length of the slat structure36-I5'-36.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming Within the scope of the invention asdened in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Letters Patent is:

A slat structure for a Venetian blind, comprising an elongated main slatmember, and a pair of fitments each engaged with an end portion of saidmember in telescoping relation therewith, each such tment having at itsouter end a plate-like portion and having extended from the inner sideof said plate-like portion a pair of legs of U-shaped cross-section toprovide parallel grooves along said legs, said grooves facing each otherand having their bottoms spaced apart a distance equal to the width ofthe said slat member, an indent along the length of at least one of suchgrooves to limit the extent of telescopic overlap between said legs andthe adjacent end portion of the slat member, said slat structure neareach of its opposite ends having a lift-cord slot, each fitment being soshaped and on each tment said indent being so located that when saidiitments are fully engaged with the opposite end portions of said slatmember each of said slots is partially bounded by an end of said slatmember, each of said tments being bent up from a single blank of sheetmaterial, each of said blanks being substantially rectangular inoutline, and in the case of each of said blanks said plate-like portionof the tment being at one end of the blank, said legs of the iitmentbeing extended along both opposite sides of the blank with each legpartially projected beyond said plate-like portion, and a tonguelikeportion continuing from the end of said plate-like portion locatedbetween the projected ends o said legs, said tongue-like portion beingbent to extend beneath said plate-like portion and thereby give saidplate-like portion a twoply thickness and to establish such bend line ofsaid tongue-like member as the other side of the lift-cord slotpartially bounded as aforesaid by an end of said slat member.

IRVING J. HERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,017,210 Kirsch Oct. 15, 19352,317,917 Kasan Apr. 27, 1943 2,447,706 Marston Aug. 24, 1948 2,497,803Smalley Feb. 14, 1950

